Science Fair (2018)
As a veteran underachiever, I could only imagine [...]
Animated
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Wes Anderson takes to whimsy like a duck to water. It must be in his bones, he knows how to conceptualize it in a way that is droll and wry but never forced. After 20 years one might think that his bag of whimsical drollery might be wearing out its welcome, but not so fast. […]
The Oscar Nominees: Zootopia (2016)
From now until February 26th, I will be taking to be taking a brief look at the nominees for The 89th Annual Academy Awards, one film at a time in several categories. Nominated for: Best Animated Feature _________________________________________________________ The greatest joy of going to the movies, for me, is the joy of discovering something that […]
The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
Reporting on The LEGO Batman Movie is a little tough on your average critic. There’s nothing heavy to report on this hurricane of jokes and self-referential humor except to tell you whether I laughed or I didn’t laugh. And yes, I laughed – quite a bit in fact. As a matter of fact the whirlwind […]
Moana (2016)
Disney’s Moana finally crosses my path almost a month after its national debut, right here on Christmas Day – a little mele kalikimaka from America’s unofficial dream factory. My first observation: It’s Disney, it’s very very Disney, from top to bottom. This movie couldn’t be Disney if you showed it in the theme park in […]
Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
Batman: The Killing Joke clears up the most aggravating problem that I have with the latest glut of superhero movies – the producers always seem afraid to let their characters be characters. As much as I’ve praised the recent spate of Marvel movies, I must admit that underneath my admiration there always rests a tiny […]
The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
The timing may be tricky for The Secret Life of Pets which has the misfortune of arriving in the shadow of Finding Dory, a surprise hit that has already raked in over $400,000,000 domestic. That film, which has been at the top of the charts for the past two weeks surprised everyone not only by […]
Finding Dory (2016)
I swear I mean this as a compliment; Finding Dory is the most entertaining needless sequel that you’ll see this summer. It’s true, this sequel wasn’t entirely necessary but if anyone could do it and still make an unnecessary movie that was still entertaining and fun, it had to be Pixar. For me, that has […]
Zootopia (2016)
The greatest joy of going to the movies, for me, is the joy of discovering something that the filmmakers have worked to turn into something special. Week after week, I attend the Hollywood product that regurgitates shopworn plots and tired characters that aren’t much deeper than your average rain puddle. Yet, every once in a […]
